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' E. SCHNEIDER.

APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE LIQUID CHARGE AND AIR PRESSURE INRECUPERATORS 0F GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3|. I91].

Patented Oct. 7, 1919..

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Fig. 1.

E. SCHNEIDER.

APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE LIQUID CHARGEAND AIR PRESSURE IN RECUBERATORS0F GUNS. V

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3Ir19l1.

15318,013. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET v2.

m: COLUMBIA PLANooRAvu c0" WASHINGTON. n. c.

E. SCHNEIDER.

APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE LIQUID CHARGE AND AIR PRESSURE INRECUPERATORS 0F GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1911.

1,318,013. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E. SCHNEIDERF APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE LIQUID CHARGE AND AIR PRESSUREIN RECUPERATORS 0F GUNS.

APPLICATION man MAY a1. 1911.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

was COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON. n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, 0F LE CREUZOT, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SCHNEIDER & CIE.,0F

PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY or FRANCE. 7

' APPARATUS FOR CHECKING THE LIQUID CHARGE AND AIR-PRESSURE IN RECU- iPERATORS OF GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

Application filedlvlay 31, 1917. Serial No. 172,014.

To all whom itmay concern i 7 Be it known that I, EUGENE SOHNEmER, acitizen of the French Republic, residing at Le Creuzot, Sane-et-Loire,France, have invented a new and useful Improved Apparatus for CheckingtheLiquid Charge and Air-Pressure in Recuperators of Guns,

which .is fully set forth in the following specification.

When the liquid charge of a hydro-pneumatic recuperator falls below a.determined level, the result is aninsufficient pressure upon the. airconfined above the said charge, and consequently a defective working ofthe recuperator.

A fall of pressure may also'take place without loss of liquid.

In the case of urgent firing, the normal pressure conditions may berestored rapidly without restoring the desired level of the liquid. Butit is preferred each time that the circumstances will allow to have an-eX- act restoration of the level of the liquid.

This invention has now for its objectto provide an improved apparatusfor checking the liquid charge and the air pressure, for use with gunswhere it is not possible, or it is notdesired to provide a part movablethrough a packing, for the purposeof. indicating at all times by itsposition the state of the liquid charge. I a The invention consistssubstantially ofa socket composed of two elements: one element mountedpermanently on the recuperator cylinder comprises a chamber whose communication with the outside is normally closed by an inwardly openingspring valve; The wall of this chamber is formed with a slot or orificesituated at the height of the normal level of the'liquid for adetermined inclination of the gun barrel. The'pipe or passageestablishing communication between this socket element and theatmosphere, is normally closed by a cap plug, and on removing this plug,the removable supplementary socket element can be fitted to thesaidpassage for the purpose of effecting the operations forchecking andrestoring normal conditions; The said removable supple: mentary socketelement contains anaxial passagei for communicatingw th the fixedelementand into it there open: a pipe neck for a ductfor drawing off theliquid, another pipe neck for connecting with a pressure gage, and ifdesired a third pipe neck for connectlng with a device for forcing infresh llquid. The axial passage serves as a gu de for a spindle foropening the valve which closes the fixed socket.

The anner in which this invention is to be performed will now be moreparticularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings whichillustrate by way of example some practical constructions of apparatusaccording to this invention.

In these drawings 5 A A Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectionshowing the two elements of the checking apparatus mounted in positionfor effecting the operation ofchecking and restoring n0rmalconditions ofthe liquid charge and the air pressure.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig. 3 is a central horizontal sectionalView taken through Fig. 1 showing the socket element fixed permanentlyon the recuperator cy1i1 1der;.,the removable element having beenremoved.

Figs.4, 5 and 6 are cross sections respectively on the line IV-IV, VVand VI-VI of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is an apparatus.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation thereof.

' Fig. 9 is a cross section showing in elevation the element permanentlyfixed on the recuperator.

Figs. 10 and 11 are cross sections respectively on the lines XX andXI-XI of Fig. 7

In all these figures, A is one of the reservoirs of a hydro-pneumaticrecuperator, wherein the gas is confined above the liquid charge B; C isthe sliding part of the gun witlh which the recuperator cylinders recoi.

The improved checking apparatus comprises an element fixed permanentlyon the recuperator. This element comprises a valve casing D immersed inthe liquid charge at one end and projecting out of the said liquid atits otherend. I

In this socket there is formed a chamber 65, the communication betweenwhich andthe outside'is normally closed'by a spring valve E. The. wallof the chamber has formed in it'a slot or hole (1 On the pipe neck Dformed on that poraxial section of the checking tion of the valve casingD that projects to the outside, there is screwed normally ascrew cap F.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the valve casing D which isfixed permanently on the recuperator cylinder, is arranged in theforward end A of the cylinder A, and as near as possible to thelongitudinal axis of the gun.

The longitudinal axis of the casing D is parallel to the axis of thecylinder A and is at a level slightly lower than the normal level of theliquid 13 whenthe axis of the gun barrel is horizontal.

The removable element G of the improved checking apparatus, is adaptedto fit the pipe neck D by means of a union H after the screw cap F haspreviously been removed.

I is a spindle which is adapted to be pushed.

through the longitudinal passage 9 of'the element G, for the purpose offorcing the valve E off its se'at.

The rod 1 for operating the spindle I may be screwed in and out by meansof screwthreaded surfaces 2' between which are formed grooves i (Fig.6). These surfaces are adapted to work in a corresponding screw threadtapped in the passage 9. Dis

a stop for limiting the outward movement of the spindle'and rod 1-1"Thesocket element G comprises a first pipe neck G wherein there engagesa clos ing plug 9 which allows of opening and closing at will adischarge passage 1.. A second pipe neck G carries a union forconnecting with a pressure gage J.

Upon the projecting portion of the element D there is fixed or mountedfor the purpose of effectin the checking operations, a lever K providedwith an indicating hand k adapted to move over a scale L formed on orfixed to the slide G I The sectional figure, Fig. 5, shows the crosssection of the valve-opening spindle I which is formed at this placewith guide ribs I For the purpose of checking the liquid charge and theair pressure by means of the just described construction of the improvedapparatus, the procedure is as follows:

The gun barrel is brought into ahori'zontal position, as shown in Figs.1 and 2. The screw cap F is assumed to be removed, and the union H withthe removable element G is assumed to be placed in position after theleverK- -ic has been first slipped into its place.

By operating the spindle I, the valve E is forced off its seat.Communication is then established with the pressure gage J which.indicates the pressure of the air above thefliquid B..' V

As above stated, in cases where the pressure insulficient, and if it is'a matter of urgency, the desired pressure may be restored withoutchecking the state of the liquid charge. Y i 4 i If, on the contrary, itis desired to check the'state of the charge, it is merely necessary byoperating the closing plug 9 to open the communication of the passage 1with the outside. The communication slot (Z is moved as desired byoperating the lever K.

lVhen the lever K is in its vertical position, the indicating hand [awill be opposite the zero mark of the scale L, which corresponds to thelevel of thenormal charge.

If, in this position, liquid flows out from the passage 1 through theside passage 2, it is clear that the charge is sufficient at least. Thecharge may however be in excess, and in such a case the lever K is movedtoward the left until liquid no longer flows out. Thescale is so madethat the hand 71; will then indicate exactly the quantityof liquid inexcess. 1

If, on the contrary, thelever K being ver: tical, no liquid flowsoutthrough the .pas-

sages 1 and 2, the said lever is moved to the right until liquid beginsto flow out. Then the reading of the scale at the mark opposite whichthe hand 70 has. stopped, shows the amount of liquid which should beadded in orderto restore the liquid chargeyto its normal level. j In theconstruction shownin Figs. 7 to 11, the checking apparatus instead ofbeing mounted in the end of the recuperator cylinder A,'is mounted at apoint of its longitudinal surface in a plane at right angles to the axisof the cylinder situated approximately at half length of the saidcylinder. This position is chosen in all cases sothat the slot (Z foradmitting liquid into. the chamber (Z of the fixed element D, shall besituated at the height of the free level of the liquid 13 when thislevel is normal, when the gun has been brought to a determined angle ofelevation, preferablyequa'l toior approximatingits maximum elevation."

As in the preceding construction, the removable element Gr comprisesalso in this construction, a pipe neck-G for receiving a closing screwplug g? and for serving to dis charge liquid through the passages l and2, during the operation'of checking the level. The removable element Gralso comprises a second pipe neck G for connecting with the fresh liquiddrawn from a reservoir M The pipe neck G contains a non-return valve 9(Fig. 11).

The element comprises also a spirit level N attached to it in a fixedposition which is determined-by the fact that the air bubble is situatedbetween its limit marks when the gun barrel has been elevated to thedetermined angle chosen for efiecting the checkingoperations (Fig; 8).

The construction which has been'just clescribed has the great advantageof reducing considerably the free surface of the level of the liquid atthe point where the latteris ad-' mitted into the appanatus at themoment of effecting the checking operation. The result is that for alowering of the level due to the drawing-off of liquid, the capacity ofthe drawn-off liquid is considerably smaller, thereby increasing theexactness of the readings.

Having now described I claim as new and ters Patent is: r

1. In apparatus for checking the liquid charge and air pressure inrecuperators for guns, a recuperator chamber adapted to contain a liquidunder gas pressure and to be inmy invention, what desire to secure byLetclined with the gun, a valve casing supported in the wall of saidchamber and having a slot opening into the recuperator chamber andpositioned to determine the normal level of liquid therein for a giveninclination of the gun, said casing having a tubular portion openingoutside the chamber, a valve in said casing subject to yielding pressureand normally closing communication between said casing and said tubularextension, and a removable conduit connection adapted to be coupled tosaid tubular portion and provided with an independently operated spindle for acting on said valve to open the same against said yieldingpressure.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said valve oasingisadapted for angular movement about its own axis to bring saidliquid-level determining orifice to different levels.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claims 1 and 2 in combination with a scaleindicating the level of the liquid in said cylinder above and below apredetermined level, and a le ver adapted to rotate said valve casingand prolvided with a hand moving over said sca e.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

CHAs. P. PRnssLY, ANDRJJ MOSTICKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eaeh,by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

